Car crime warning for town after disability theft

James and Suzanne had their Ford Kuga stolen in the middle of the night

A family said they were devastated when their car was stolen with thousands of pounds worth of equipment for their disabled son inside.

James and Suzanne, from Redditch, had their Ford Kuga stolen recently in the middle of the night.

The theft came as West Mercia Police said the town in Worcestershire had become a target for criminals from outside the force's area.

"It was really upsetting, stuff that we need for him. It's our lifeline and they just took it," Suzanne said.

"I couldn't believe it, you just expect the car to be there. It just disappeared off my drive. It's an invasion of your privacy."

"His disability badge as well. You need that for when you park and that was in the car," James added.

"It could have had all his medicine in there, luckily we keep it inside.

"We had a few appointments that week, we had to cancel one."

The car was subsequently found by police but the family said they have not yet had it returned to them

Criminals used a keyless entry system, allowing them to unlock and start the car, the family said.

Police said they believed organised crime groups were coming from the West Midlands area and Redditch was a current a target for them.

The family's car has since been found by police but it has not yet been returned to the family.

"It's a big inconvenience, we still still haven't got our car back and it's a month down the line." Suzanne added.

Their child's equipment from inside the car was fully recovered.

The police spokesperson said the delay was due to a process which cars have to go through after being stolen.

"When a car is found, we will get it forensically recovered by a recognised recovery agency, so that might be in the West Midlands," Det Insp Colin Berry added.

"We will then ask one of our agencies to collect that car and ideally we would like that car to be forensically examined and we will search the car as well, to see if there is anything to help with the investigation."

Det Insp Colin Berry urged drivers to take steps to make sure their vehicles were harder to steal

Det Insp Berry urged vehicles owners to add safety features to them as, if criminals saw something as a challenge, it reduced the chance of them targeting an address.

Several safety tips for vehicle owners were released by West Mercia Police.

They included making use of steering locks, wheel clamps and tracker systems.

Having burglar alarms and closing windows over night were also recommended by the force.